FeedsBattery firm brings jobs, investment to Northville
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Gov. Jennifer Granholm (above, center) welcomed representatives of TSC Michigan, Inc, during a ground breaking ceremony for their new North American Headquarters in Northville Township. Granholm told the crowd of dignitaries that the company is one of 16A long vacant building in Northville Township will help Michigan become a national leader in battery technology.
Representatives of TSC Michigan, Inc. welcomed township, county and state officials to a ribbon cutting for their new North American headquarters. Located in the former OIS building off Five Mile Road, the company will use it for a new lithium ion electrolyte development process that it will transfer from Korea to Michigan.
“That’s why we’re here: technology and jobs,” said Allen Ibara, CEO of TSC Michigan. “Southeastern Michigan was the ideal choice; we see an exciting future here.”
The building itself made the location an ideal spot, he added. Constructed about 15 years ago and originally designed for the development of semiconductors and advanced fiber optic device development, it features an infrastructure that matches up well with the needs of the company—even though it’s been vacant for 10 years. Ibara called it ‘finding a needle in a haystack’.
The company will bring 279 direct jobs to the facility and about 1,394 in-direct jobs, he estimated. The first phase will be operational in about seven months, he said.
Township officials welcomed the investment.
“Our board has been committed to diversifying the tax base,” said Township Supervisor Mark Abbo. “This is a prime example of that.”
“We feel very fortunate that this unique building met the needs of this company,” added Clerk Sue Hillebrand. “We’re very lucky to have them.”
Gov. Jennifer Granholm applauded the move, as well. She said the announcement of the TSC Investment means that 16 companies dealing with battery or battery support technology have committed to opening operations in Michigan. It means about 62,000 new jobs for the state, she added.
“Michigan is stepping into its role as the battery capital of the nation and, we hope, the world,” said Granholm.
“This is not by accident,” she added. “We focused on this industry. We knew we had to be good partners and make a good business case.”
That case included tax breaks at the local, county and state level.
TSC is a subsidiary of Techno Semichem, a public company that formed 24 years ago in Korea. Its stability in the emerging field means that it will be prosperous for years to come, creating new technology for lithium batteries that help power everything from laptops to electric vehicles.
“This is exactly the kind of company we hoped to attract—not just to Northville, but to this site in particular,” said Township Trustee Chris Roosen, who also serves on the Economic Development Corporation (EDC). “We’re happy to get this building re-used.
“Obviously, the types of jobs they’ll provide are the types of jobs we want in the community. They’re high-paying jobs.”
Township officials have long wrestled with finding new uses for the property, which sits on a larger piece of land designated for industrial and research uses. That market has been a slow one lately, and the township looked at converting portions of the land for commercial use. The building would have been a part of that plan.
“This is a home run,” Roosen said. “We’re glad we could get a company into this building so we don’t have to tear it down and start over.”
The first phase of redevelopment will take about 40 percent of the building, according to Ibara. Most of the renovations will take place on the inside. The remainder of the building will be set aside for future expansion, and there is room on the site for additional expansion after that.
Granholm said she was happy to hear that, too. She said she hoped the ceremony Wednesday morning was more than just a ‘first date.’
“This is a marriage,” she told members of the company. “We hope you’ll grow your family here.”
